Google Has a New Plan for China (and It's Not About Search)
- Artificial intelligence is its prized asset there now
- Alphabet puts scouts on ground from Google and CapitalG units
Google Plans to Re-Enter China and It's Not Search
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More than seven years after exiting China, Google is taking the boldest steps yet to come back. And it’s not with a search engine.
Instead, Google’s ingress is centered around artificial intelligence. The internet giant is actively promoting TensorFlow, software that makes it easier to build AI systems, as a way to forge business ties in the world’s largest online market, according to people familiar with the company’s plans. It’s a wide pitch targeting China’s academics and tech titans. At the same time, Google parent Alphabet Inc. is adding more personnel to scour Chinese companies for potential AI investments, these people said.